Momswapped AU Adventures
by DrCan
Summary: Adventures in a momswapped universe. Stick around to see what kind of mischief the Crystal Gems; Jasper, Peridot, Lapis, and Steven can get into while trying to keep the world safe from Homeworld, corrupted gems, and more.
1. Chapter 1

"Has anyone seen Jasper in awhile," Steven asked from his lofted bed. Peridot was busy working in the kitchen on one of her inventions, while Lapis sat on the couch reading a magazine about clothes.

"I think I saw her using the warp pad a few days ago," Lapis responded thoughtfully.

Steven leaned over the side and looked down at her. "You don't think she went on a mission by herself do you," he asked with a twinge of worry in his voice.

"Not like it would be the first time," Peridot muttered to herself. A spark of electricity jumped from her invention onto her arm and she yelped in surprise.

Lapis ignored Peridot's misfortune to comfort Steven. Her watery wings lifted her up to him. "Don't worry Steven," she said, taking his face in her hands. "Jasper is more than capable of taking care of herself. Did you forget how she single handedly bubbled that group of corrupted gems that attacked us last month? Or when Peridot's giant robonoid ran wild into the city, she held it back long enough for us to stop it?"

Steven playfully swatted Lapis' hands away. "Yeah, I guess your right. It's just, I guess I'm a little worried she didn't even tell us where she was going."

"Trust us Steven, you don't know Jasper like we do," Peridot said, leaving her work on the table. "This is well within her usual operating procedures."  
"So, does that mean this is normal for her?"

Peridot groaned as she prepared to explain. "It means that sometimes Jasper gets some kind of crazy idea lodged in her thick skull and she feels the need to go run off on her own to accomplish it. Most of the time it's some foolish, or outright dangerous, stunt to improve her combat prowess." Peridot paced back and forth as she ranted.

She was so engrossed in her explanation that she didn't notice the warp pad activate, and deposit a weary and battered Jasper on the crystalline teleporter.

"Jas-" was all Steven could say before Lapis clasped a hand over his mouth. He looked up at her to see her giving him the shush signal in front of a mischievous grin. Steven wanted to pull her hand away and rush to his friend, but he kept quiet. Peridot continued speaking uninterrupted.

"Furthermore, it wouldn't take that massive clod more than a few minutes to just tell us what she was doing. Instead, she has to go running off and making you worry like that Steven. I promise you, when she gets back, I'm going to show her that she can't just do whatever she wants." Peridot used her ferrokinesis to float her invention into her hand.

"With this targeted electron blaster, I'll be able to get my point across nicely."

Unbeknownst to Peridot, Jasper had slowly made her way over to the tiny green gem. She stopped directly behind her, towering over her fellow Crystal Gem.

Steven couldn't help himself and let out a loud gasp. Peridot turned to look at Steven, her blaster carefully cradled in her arm like a new born baby.

"Oh calm down Steven, it's not like I would actually hurt Jasper. I'd just set it to a low…." Peridot thought for a second. "A medium level. Not enough to really hurt her, but enough to show she can't just do as she pleases."

Peridot felt very proud of herself for both her weapon and plan to stand up to Jasper. The two had the tendency to bicker, and more often than Peridot would like to admit, Jasper put her superior size to great use. But no longer! With her new weapon primed she was ready for the hulking quartz warrior.

She felt so good in fact, it was like she was floating. What she quickly realized was that the floating sensation was caused by Jasper holding her up by her head.

"You'll do what now Dot," Jasper asked. Her voice was raspier than usual, and it was obvious that she was exhausted, but that didn't make her any less intimidating.

"Ahh," Peridot screeched, throwing her hands up to her face in fear. Her blaster fell to the ground and snapped into two separate pieces.

The two gems looked at the weapon, then back at one another. Jasper's half lidded gaze bore into Peridot's wide eyed fright. "J-J-Jasper! What a pleasant surprise! W-we were just talking about you! When did you arrive?"

"Long enough to know that, when I wake up, you and I will have a nice, private, chat together." Jasper dropped Peridot back on the ground and wandered over to the couch. Before she laid down though, she gave Steven a knowing smirk. "I've got something special for you later kid."

And with that, she crashed on the couch and began to snore. While Lapis sat beside Steven laughing loudly, Peridot ran around in circles panicking at what Jasper might do. With the other two occupied, Steven was left to wonder what Jasper could have prepared for him.


	2. Chapter 2

"Steven, pass me the metal conjoiner. Quickly," Peridot yelled as she cycled through the tools she kept floating over head, unable to find the one she needed.

The young half-gem saluted and rushed over to Peridot's workbench. Peridot's room looked like a bunch of random piles of electronics, tools, and garbage on the outside. But a closer look showed everything was labeled and placed in specific spots.

That made Steven's job of finding the right tool easy. Especially since Peridot had the habit of renaming her stuff. He found a welding torch labeled as a 'metal conjoiner' on her desk.

"I think I saw my dad use one of these once. He was trying to attach a fin to the top of his van. He called it a welding torch."

Peridot snatched the tool out of Steven's hands and focused back on the domed device she had been working on feverishly since Jasper's return.

"I don't have time to discuss your father's mental foolishness Steven! I need to finish this before Jasper wakes up and comes after me!"

As Peridot worked Steven walked around to get a better look at what she had built over the last few hours. To him it looked like a patchwork turtle shell. It was mostly made from mismatched metal panels with a circular window on top. A small arched entrance, just big enough for Peridot to fit through, seemed to be the only way in or out.

"What is this thing supposed to do anyways," Steven asked, clanging his knuckles against the dome. Causing a very dull thud.

Peridot finished her welding and tossed the torch into the air. She used her ferrokinesis to gently float the tool back to the bench it had come from. She stepped back and gazed at her creation with glee. "Can't you tell just from looking at it?"

"Uhh, you're going to use it to disguise yourself as a turtle?"

"No Steven," Peridot said exasperated. "This shell is going to protect me from Jasper! Look. Look inside."

Steven did as he was asked and stuck his head through the tiny archway. Inside were dozens of electronics, wires of various color and length, and what looked like a bear trap on steroids.

Peridot's face popped up behind the glass window, watching Steven from outside the dome.

"The Anti-Jasper Dome is held in place by six foot long spikes in the ground. Each one has a dozen barbs on it that will prevent them from being yanked out of the ground. The exterior is made with salvaged bits off of that Homeworld ship we found recently. This metal could be hit by a meteor shower and come out fine."

"Even if Jasper was somehow stronger, which I highly doubt, I've lined the inside with momentum dampeners. They'll suck up all of her punches' kinetic energy, and disperse it useless into the ground. Her punches will be as weak as-"

"Yours," Steven interrupted with an oblivious smile. Peridot grumbled an agreement.

As he looked around, he realized that the large bear trap was wired directly into the dome. "What about this crazy thing," he asked.

"Ah ha," Peridot exclaimed. "I see you finally noticed the most important piece of the AJD. The Jasper Trap!"

Steven cocked his head sideways, trying to see the device like Peridot did. "I think it's just a bear trap."

"The Jasper Trap," she repeated through gritted teeth. "Is for when Jasper realizes she can't break through the walls of the dome. She'll look through the window and see me completely unharmed inside. In her rage she'll strike at the glass. Once her fist is through, the trap will shut." She pantomimed the trap being triggered with her hands

"Her arm will be stuck inside while you and I, make our escape."

Steven nodded his head thoughtfully. "Wow Peri. You put a lot of thought into this."

She beamed back at him with pride. "Oh please, this is nothing for a genius like me."

"It's a shame that _genius_ was wasted on a lame toy like that." Came a voice from behind.

Steven and Peridot spun around to see Jasper standing in the doorway of the room. Her orange crash helmet already on while a toothy grin split her face.

"Wait! How are you here? My robonoids should have told me when you woke up!"

Jasper shrugged. "Should have left more than four robots." Not wasting another second she jumped high into the air and started spinning rapidly. A corona of fire engulfed her as she sailed towards Peridot's structure.

Upon impact there was a deafening crash and a large plume of dust. Followed by bits of the AJD as it rained down around the room.

Peridot stood there, both hands on her face, her mouth agape in a combination of shock and fear, and stared at her destroyed shelter.

Steven formed his rose colored shield over their heads to block some of the debris.

"Ahh," Jasper sighed. "Nothing like a good stretch to get you going in the morning."

Steven released his shield and rushed over to where Jasper stood amidst the destruction. Peridot remained where she was, mouth still hanging open.

"That was awesome," Steven exclaimed.

Jasper pulled some of the broken spaceship out of her hair and threw it to the ground. "Of course it was. Do you know who you're talking to right now?"

"Only the strongest gem this side of the galaxy," he cheered.

"That's right," she responded. "And she's got her strongest friend right beside her!" The two then quickly ran through a series of bodybuilding poses they had seen on TV before. Silly grins stuck to their faces as they enjoyed their inside joke together.

"Alright, that's enough of that," Jasper said finishing her routine. "We've got a surprise to get to." With a wink she led the way out of the room.

Steven's eyes filled with stars as his mind ran through what the surprise could be.

"Yessssss," he yelled into the air. "Are we going to visit a new planet? Did you meet a new gem? Have you learned a super secret martial art that you can only pass down one time, and you've chosen me as your disciple?" Steven bowed deeply towards Jasper. "I am ready, sensei."

Jasper was used to Steven's hyperactive imagination and decided to string him along a little bit.

"You're not ready to learn the uh," her mind drew a blank until she remembered an old movie Steven had shown her once. "Kneeling….cobra, angry...toad….fist."

He beamed at her, "You mean that's real?"

She pointed to where her nose would be. "As real as the gem on my face. Now lets get moving. You're going to love what I have planned."

As Jasper passed the dumbstruck Peridot, she reached down and tucked her underneath her arm like a newspaper.

"For all of us."


	3. Chapter 3

The three gems warped into the desert region that was the Beta Kindergarten. Peridot had regained her composure and struggled under Jasper's arm.

"Release me already Jasper!"

Jasper did as Peridot asked and let her go. Gravity took hold immediately and Peridot fell flat on her face.

She peeled her face off the ground and looked at Jasper. "You did that on purpose."

"Hey, you asked for it." Steven helped Peridot up as Jasper lead the way.

"She doesn't seem mad at you from earlier at least," Steven said trying to make Peridot feel better.

"What joy," she responded with a distinct lack of joy.

The two followed after Jasper deeper into the abandoned Kindergarten. It's red sandstone shone brightly in the desert sun. Exit holes were randomly scattered all over the walls. No two holes were alike as many of them rested at weird angles or had come out too big or too small.

They noticed Lapis ideally leaning against one of the walls. She waved at the others as they got closer.

"Hey Lapis. Are you here for the surprise too," Steven asked.

"Yep. Jasper still hasn't told me what it is though. Do you guys know?"

"No, we don't. All Jasper's done so far is destroy hours of work and carry us off to this dump." Peridot gestured around at the ruined equipment.

"You're lucky I destroyed your stupid invention instead of what I originally thought about," Jasper said.

Peridot audibly gulped, but continued speaking. "Y-yes yes, we all know you can be intimidating. Can you just tell us already what you've been so secretive about?"

Jasper broke into her trademark grin, the one that always seemed to put the rest of the gems in trouble. Several nervous glances passed between the crystal gems as Jasper reached into a nearby hole in the wall.

"First things first," Jasper said as she threw Peridot her limb extenders. "Put these on."

Peridot looked at her equipment with confusion. "What am I going to need these for?"

"It's apart of the surprise, just put them on." Peridot was wary. Jasper knew she only used her limb extenders for missions. The 'surprise' sounded less and less pleasant the more she learned about it.

"Okay," Jasper began to explain. "We've been seeing a lot of Homeworld activity these last few weeks, and it's only going to get worse before it gets better. So I figure, what better way to prepare for them, then with some new training!"

"This...was the big surprise Jasper," Lapis asked with disbelief. "You were so cryptic this whole time. I kind of figured it would be something more…."

"Interesting, unique, shocking" Peridot offered.

Lapis winced at Peridot's blunt choice of words. "I wouldn't have said it like that."

Peridot's minor jabs did nothing to ruin Jasper's good mood.

"There's something special about this training, isn't there," Steven said, having noticed Jasper's continued smile.

"That's right kid. This time, we've got live partners."

She lead the group around a corner further into the canyon. Much like the rest of the Kindergarten, this one was filled with gem shaped holes and several destroyed Injectors. What made this section stand out against all the others were several metal gates that had been shoved into the walls. Cries of corrupted gems could be heard coming from within the makeshift prison cells. From one cell a large wing flapped violently in an attempt to break out.

Peridot, Steven, and Lapis were stunned at what Jasper had done. She had built a prison for corrupted gems. The three were unable to speak at what they were seeing, some of jaws even hanging open, which Jasper mistook as a good sign.

She stood next to one of the cells as an oddly colored arm reached out at her. "I got this idea awhile back. It makes sense that we'll improve the most if we have real opponents that won't pull their punches, and since we'd poof these guys anyways, it's the perfect situation. So, is this great or what," Jasper asked with a smug grin.

Steven looked to Lapis and Peridot for some kind assurance that this was all some kind of joke, but they were just as shocked as he was.

"Jasper no," Steven yelled. "This is terrible!"

The sudden outburst, as well as the emotion connected to it, pulled Jasper out of her own head. She looked between her friends and realized that none of them were even remotely okay with what she had done.

"You can't just go out and capture gems like this Jasper. You took them from their homes and threw them into jail? They must be terrified! And then you tell us we're going to fight them? This is so wrong!" Steven was rapidly working himself into an emotional state.

"But...I-," Jasper tried to say before Lapis flew up to her face.

"Jasper. What you've done here," she said her arm pointed at the nearest cell. "Is no better than what Homeworld would do to us."

"These are just corrupted gems," Jasper retaliated, letting some of her anger out. "Why is this such a big deal?"

"Because they weren't always corrupted," Lapis yelled back, meeting Jasper's rage with her own. "These might be some of our friends for all we know, and you want to pit us against them for fun?"

"It's not for fun, this will make us stronger!"

The two gems pushed against one another with their foreheads. Both unwilling to back down,

"This could make us stronger," Peridot chimed in as the voice of logic. Before Lapis could fully direct her rage at her, Peridot continued. "It's like Lapis said though. Doing something like this would make us as bad as Homeworld. We understand that you want us to get stronger Jasper, but this isn't the way."

Jasper wanted to say more about her plan, how this was all for them, and that it could be their best bet to resist Homeworld. One look at Steven sapped her of the will to argue.

She clenched her fists open and shut several times before she spoke again. "Okay. If that's how you all feel," she said not looking at any of them. "Let's take care of these gems and get out of here."

Peridot and Lapis nodded at one another and walked over to one of the cells. Steven stood nearby as Jasper ripped open the cell door and walked into the dark room.

Soon after he heard a loud poof, and Jasper came out with a newly bubbled gem. She sent it to the Burning Room in the Temple for safe keeping.

Steven wanted to say something to the large gem, but as she walked over to another cell, he figured that staying quiet would be the best thing for now.

He left her to finish the last gem by herself and walked up to the other two. Lapis sent the gem away as Steven reached them.

"I've never seen Jasper this upset," Steven said, still fairly shaken himself.

Lapis rested her hand on Steven's shoulder. "It'll be okay Steven. Jasper messed today, but she knows that. I hate to admit it, but this isn't the first time one of her plans has gone too far."

"Ha," Peridot laughed loudly. "Do you remember the one time when Steven was a baby, Jasper tried to-" but her story was interrupted by a loud crash and a roar of rage from Jasper.

Unbeknownst to the others, the last cell held a corrupted gem much tougher than the others. It had taken all of Jasper's strength and skill to capture it the first time, but shaken as she was now, the beast had gotten the drop on her.

Once she had come into the gem's view it charged, and now Jasper was trapped beneath it. The large gem stood on top of her. It's massive forearms held her down while the mouth on its chest snapped at the bars that separated them. Jasper battled against it as best she could, but the gate blocked her attacks as much as the corrupted gem's.

After she dodged a particularly vicious bite from the monster, Jasper was able to grab hold of its long hair and slam its head against the grate several times.

"Jasper," Lapis yelled as she rushed to her aid. Watery wings propelled her forward as fast as they could. The beast grabbed Jasper's arm and swung her against the ground once, twice, then a third time.

Lapis responded by hitting it with several icy spears she had created. The beast shrugged them off before throwing Jasper away. Her impact created an incredibly loud sound that made Steven flinch where he stood.

"Stay here Steven," Peridot commanded.

While Lapis held the beasts attention, dodging it's heavy strikes and peppering it with her own icy attacks, Peridot released the robonoids that she held within her limb extenders. Unlike her usual robots, these ones were built for combat. She had five at the moment, and each one was equipped with a different weapon. From a light blaster to a pair of stun hammers.

Peridot sent the robonoids in to attack along with Lapis. They focused on it's eyes and softer tissue. As the beast swung and roared at the annoying robots, Peridot sent two charges from her personal blaster into the gem's side. The beast stumbled several steps from the impact. A pair of large scorch marks covered the beasts elongated torso. But as the beast turned and roared at Peridot, it was obvious the damage was only superficial.

The gem charged toward Peridot. It's massive arms propelled the rest of its body forward like a runaway gorilla.

"Getawaygetawaygetaway," Peridot yelled as she fled from the behemoth. Her drones responded to their creator's terror and flew in to defend her as best they could. The corrupted gem closed the distance and swung its heavy arm in an attempt to slam Peridot into the wall. Her robots formed an impromptu star shaped shield with their bodies to block the blow.

Their effort wasn't enough as the gem's palm shattered them all, leaving Peridot open to the attack. The massive strike sent her into the opposite wall, where she left a Peridot sized hole next to all the others. A low groan could be heard from within.

"Lapis! Do something," Steven yelled. A cold sweat had broken out over his skin as he saw the beast defeat the Crystal Gems one by one.

"I'm trying Steven," she shouted back. "But we're in the desert! I can only use the water stored in my gem!"

Lapis knew she couldn't over power the corrupted gem without more water, so she kept to the air. Every chance she got she attacked, doing her best to try and think of away to stop it's rampage.

The gem roared in anger from the mouth along its chest. It tried to jump at her, but for its effort it got a face full of icy spears. Unable to reach her, the gem changed tactics. It grabbed several large boulders that were laying around and hurled them at her faster than Steven's eyes could track.

Lapis was forced to put her attack on hold while she dodged the stony projectiles. Her wings propelled her in all directions, through dives and rolls, and whatever else she had to do to stay safe. While her focus was locked onto the corrupted gem, she wasn't able to notice the rocks that had begun breaking off from the walls.

Steven noticed what was about to happen, and tried to warn her.

"Lapis," he yelled. "The walls are crumbling! Get out of there!"

"What," was all she could get out before several thousand pounds of rock came crashing down on her. She did her best to avoid them, but one of the first ones crashed through her wings, destroying her ability to fly.

The rocks piled on top of her until there was nothing but stone to see.

"Lapis!" Steven wanted to rush to her aid, but at his cry the gem turned to him at last. He felt an overwhelming terror grip his heart. This gem had just made easy work of the most powerful gems he knew, and now it was focused on him.

He formed his shield and flung it at the monster's face with all his might. "This is for the Gems!"

If Jasper had seen the attack she would have beamed with pride. The shield sailed through the air at speeds Steven had never thrown before. It was so fast the air split around it as it flew towards the gem.

It was a valiant effort, and when the shield struck the monster's head it snapped backward from the blow. Steven pumped his arm in triumph, but the celebration was premature. Slowly the beast lowered it's head back down, a large dent noticeable on its forehead.

"Ahh hah aha," Steven awkwardly laughed. "There isn't a chance you'd like to uh, talk this through?"

The beast roared in response and propelled itself into the air towards Steven. He reacted quickly and formed his pink bubble to protect him. The beast landed in front of him, wary of what he might do.

Steven remained safely inside, his arms and legs outstretched to help him maintain the bubbles form. The gem circled Steven once before renewing its attack. It grabbed hold of the bubble in one of it's massive hands and lifted him high in the air. From there it smashed him against the ground like a bird trying to crack a nut.

Steven screamed in terror, but there was nothing he could do to stop it. He was forced to watch himself get slammed into the ground over and over. It grabbed hold with both hands for better leverage. All he was able to see were the disproportionate hands as he felt himself lifted once more.

It readied to slam him down once more when Steven heard a familiar voice yelling his name. "Steven!"

The next thing he knew he was out of the beast's grasp and flying in the air. Jasper had come down from up high and crashed directly into the beasts back with her crash helmet. It was powerful enough to poof the rampaging beast, as well as create a massive crack in the ground where she landed.

Steven floated down to the ground slowly while Jasper picked up the corrupted gem. Unbeknownst to Steven, Jasper seriously considered shattering the gem in her hand. It could have killed Steven, or hurt one of the other gems. Corrupted or not, that was unacceptable to her. Jasper's rage swirled inside her and told her to smash it, destroy the thing that almost destroyed the ones she loved. Deep down though, she knew it wasn't the gems fault this happened.

It was hers.

She released a heavy sigh, then bubbled up the gem and sent it home.

"Jasper, we have to check on the others! They could be hurt," Steven said as he ran to rock pile that covered Lapis. He pulled several rocks away before a rumble came from beneath the pile.

"I'm fine Steven." Lapis' muffled voice said. "Step back please, I don't want you to get hurt while I get out." He took several steps back at her request.

The stones shifted several times until Lapis was able to dig herself out. Her dress was covered in dust and dirt, and there were several scrapes over her body, but she seemed no worse for wear.

Steven ran up and hugged the blue gem. "You're okay!"

She hugged him back, overjoyed to see that he was alright. "I'm fine Steven. Are you hurt anywhere?" She leaned back to get a better look at him for any damage he might had taken.

He wiped the tears from his eyes. "Yeah, I'm good. Jasper came in and poofed the corrupted gem before it could hurt me."

"I'm glad to hear that." Though she meant what she said, Lapis was glaring daggers at Jasper. Jasper saw the look, and knew her bad day was going to get worse.

Steven suddenly jumped out of the hug. "Oh no, Peridot!"

"No need to worry about me," Peridot said shakily as she peeled herself from the wall. "Peridot's are much tougher than we look." She took several shaky steps before collapsing face forward. "I'm still okay."

Lapis and Steven walked over to Peridot and helped her up. Lapis threw her arm over her shoulder and lead her towards the warp pad. Steven trailed behind to pick up some of the broken robots.

Before they left, Lapis stopped next to Jasper.

"Look at me Jasper," Lapis commanded. Even though she was physically bigger, and had to look down at Lapis, inside she felt smaller than an ant.

"This is why we don't force gems to fight us. We don't know what they can do or how much damage they can cause. Your little stunt could have gotten us all killed." Lapis' rage was not the explosive kind like Jasper's. Hers was the quiet kind that came up rarely, but when it did, it crushed those around her like the depths of the ocean.

"I know," Jasper responded meekly.

"You better. You've always been reckless Jasper, maybe that's what makes you such a good fighter, but you're more than that now. You're a guardian. And all of this," Lapis gestured around to the destruction they had caused. "Is not what a guardian does."

Lapis didn't wait to see if Jasper would make a defense for herself. She carried the half-conscious Peridot to the pad. Steven looked back at Jasper and knew he couldn't just leave her like that.

"I'll see you guys later." He placed the broken robots on the pad and waved goodbye to Lapis and Peridot as they warped home.

Steven wasn't sure how to approach Jasper. He knew she was really hurt about what had happened, and probably blamed herself for everything, but that didn't make it any easier to talk about. Once he reached her, he just went with the first thing that came to mind.

"That was pretty crazy huh," he said awkwardly. He waited for a response, but when none came, he soldiered on.

"I mean, we got out okay. Sort of. Peridot's robots got pretty messed up. She's going to be working on those for awhile, and Lapis was really mad at you." He looked towards Jasper for some kind of recognition of what he was saying, but her large mane of hair obscured her face.

"Jasper, you have to talk eventually. I know you're really messed up inside, and you probably blame yourself for everything that happened, but I know you had good intentions. We all do." He placed his hand against her leg. "I can't help you if you won't let me."

She enjoyed the contact with Steven for a moment before she spoke. "We aren't always going to be there," Jasper said at last. Her voice was barely above a whisper, but in the post fight quiet, it was easy for Steven to hear her.

"One day, Homeworld might capture us, or we'll be separated in space, or we'll meet a foe that we can't beat without you." She knelt down on the ground to look Steven in the eye.

"You have to become strong Steven, and it's my job to get you there. You've improved so much over the last few months. I thought if I kept pushing you like that, you'd get there faster."

Steven watched as tears formed in her eyes. "I barely held it together when your mother left us. I know I couldn't handle losing you." The tears started to trail down her face, but she wiped them away before too long.

"I know, but I feel the same way about you guys. I can't imagine a world without you and the rest of the gems."

"Eventually, I will have to be able to fight, I get that. But forcing it like you tried today isn't right. I'll get there one day, and I know you'll be the one to thank for it'

Jasper couldn't hold back anymore and pulled Steven into a mighty bear hug. She was never good at expressing her emotions with words, but she hoped Steven understood how much he meant to her.

Jasper let go and gave a mighty sniff as she worked to place her emotions under control. "I guess that means our regular training sessions will have to cut it then huh?"

"Are you kidding," he said wiping away his own tears. "You're training is way tougher than any corrupted gem."

Jasper couldn't help but laugh at Steven's little joke. She was still a mess of emotions, but it helped to laugh.

"Alright, I can't handle any more of this emotional stuff. Lets go home and watch some mindless action movie."

"Oh oh oh! Could we see The Last Revenge 4? It's supposed to be twice as good as the last one!"

"Sure kid, whatever you want."


	4. Chapter 4

"The Art Fair is going to be so cool! I've been waiting to go to this for years," Steven shouted with joy. He bounced around Lapis as she led them out of her room.

"Is that so," she said with a smirk. "I'm pretty sure this is the first time there's been a fair like this in Beach City."

Steven blushed at being called out. "Well, I mean, maybe I haven't been waiting for this fair specifically. But to go to one, I've definitely been waiting at least six months for that."

"That's good you can handle waiting, because there's something you have to do before we go."  
"What? You said we were going to go today," he whined.

"I also said that we weren't going to go anywhere until you cleaned up the living room."

"Commmmeee oooonnnnn Lapis. It'll only take me a few minutes. I can do it when we get back."  
"If it's only going to take a few minutes, then why can't you do it now? The fair will be there all day."

Steven huffed and stood in front of the door with his arms crossed. Lapis knew Steven would put up a fight, but he was good kid. She held his gaze and waited for him to buckle.

He didn't last long. "Fine, I'll clean the living room, but then it's straight to the fair"

"Absolutely. I'm actually fairly excited to see some human meep-morps. I might get inspired to make some for the temple again." Lapis never found out that Jasper and Peridot had broken her last few pieces, and they intended to keep it that way.

"Wait," Steven said before Lapis could open the door. He pulled a bandanna from his back pocked and tied it around his head as a bonnet. "Ready."

Lapis chuckled lightly at Steven's actions. She put her hand up to activate the door. The gem on her back glowed brightly. Several wavy lines flowed down the length of the door like droplets of water against a window pane. Once they reached the bottom, the door fell into the floor in sections separated by the lines.

Steven hopped over the threshold, ready to clean as quick as he could, but gasped as he saw the room. Lapis shared a similar level of shock once inside.  
The living room practically sparkled it was so clean. Everything along the shelves was placed just where they were supposed to go. Steven's bed was made while all the dishes that had piled up in the sink were cleaned and placed within the cabinets.

Jasper lounged against the window seat. A wet rag dripped from a bucket of water by her foot. She noticed Steven and Lapis and quickly hopped up to greet them. A nervous smile was plastered across her face. It had been a few days since the incident at the Kindergarten. Jasper had spent most of that time since doing whatever she could think of to win back her teammate's trust.

"Holy frijole Jasper," Steven said happy to see his work already done. "You did all the cleaning for me. Thanks! It's not my birthday is it?"

"Uhh, no. It ain't your birthday squirt. I just knew that you and Lapis were going to that fair thing, or whatever. Figured I could save you some time and just do the cleaning for you." Though Jasper spoke to Steven, she glanced in Lapis' direction to see her reaction. She was met with a look of withering indifference. Internally Jasper flinched, but she was willing to work to mend their relationship.

"This is great! Now we can go right to the fair. Do you want to come with us?"

Jasper shook her head. "I appreciate the invite kid, but I uh, I promised I'd help Peridot repair her robots."

"Awww," he said a little bummed out. "Well, if you promised you'd help her, then you shouldn't go back on your word. We'll see you later!" Steven didn't wait for a response as he rushed through the front door and down the stairs.

Jasper stood there alone with Lapis. "I hope you guys have fun," Jasper said. Doing her best to extend an olive branch.

Lapis walked past Jasper like she was invisible, and completely ignored her. Jasper hung her head in defeat. She knew this was what it would be like, but it didn't make it any easier for her.

Jasper summoned Peridot's door and sulked into her room.

"Hey! What are you doing here," Peridot yelled in shock.

"Shut up and let me help you."

* * *

The fair took up several blocks of the main road. Mobile barriers were put up and police officers stood watch to direct traffic around the fair. A large banner hung overhead that read "First Annual Beach City Art Fair"

Steven stood before the rows of art stands with stars in his eyes. He tried to take in as much as possible, but every time he saw something he liked something else drew his attention.

Lapis had chosen to fly to the fair, and landed softly next to Steven. While several out-of-towners eyed Lapis and her wings carefully, the Beach City regulars didn't even flinch.

"Look at all this awesome stuff Lapis!" Steven clasped his hands against his face. "That guy is selling metal figures shaped like Cookie Cat!" He rushed over to the vendor to look at the many pieces he had. Lapis watched Steven bounce around the man's stall, asking him question after question.

She wanted to share Steven's excitement, but her encounter with Jasper earlier had spoiled her mood. The two had not spoken since their return from the Kindergarten, and that was by Lapis' decision. She understood Jasper's attempts at trying to win her over again, but she would need more than chores and kind words to get her forgiveness.

By the third art stand Steven realized Lapis wasn't following him. He turned around and saw that she was still standing by the banner. "Hey Lapis," he called out to her, but she continued staring off into the distance. "Lapis!" He yelled again, this time even louder. No response.

Steven walked up next to her, inhaled a large breath, and let loose. "LAPIS!"

She flinched at the unexpected noise while her wings flared out. "S-S-Steven? What's wrong? Are you okay!"

"I'm fine Lapis, how are you doing? You haven't looked at any of the art yet. Heck, I don't think you've even moved."

Lapis sighed and pulled her wings back in. "I'm fine Steven, I've just got something on my mind right now."

"Is it something I can help with?"

She smiled at his offer. "No, but it will be okay. Now come on, lets see what kind of meep-morps we can find." She grabbed Steven's hand and walked through the fair with him.

The pair explored the fair for several hours. They enjoyed the sights and eyed the many odd creations and people. Steven even found something he liked that he could afford. He held onto the Lonely Blade poster he had purchased as they headed towards the exit.

The two were joking about a particularly unique human sculpture they had seen when several massive booms came from the beach. People turned their heads to the sound and murmured amongst themselves, guessing at what the noise could have been. Lapis flew up in the air to get a better look. From there she saw a gem monster floating above the beach. It was shaped like a jellyfish, with a bulbous head almost a dozen tentacles that hung well below it. The tentacles appeared to be attacking the sandy beach at random.

Lapis came back down to the ground. "There's a corrupted gem on the beach. We need to take care of it before it wanders over here." She put her hand out for Steven to grab. "You think you can handle it with me?"

Steven nodded once and grabbed hold of Lapis' hand. She quickly lifted them into the air and headed towards the attacking gem. The wind whipped at their faces as she flew them as quickly as she could go. Steven's poster was almost ripped from his hands several times, but he held on tight.

They arrived at the beach ready for a fight, but were unprepared for what they saw.

The corrupted gem held Jasper in one of it's tentacles and was waving her wildly through the air.

"Lapis, we need to help her," Steven shouted ready to let loose with his shield.

"No! No you don't! I'm fine," Jasper yelled back before they could move. The tentacle slammed her into the ground once for her interruption.

Steven's mouth opened and closed several times while he watched Jasper fighting the beast by herself. "Are you sure you don't need any help," he asked with confusion.

"For something like this?" Jasper wrestled an arm free and threw a punch that sent the beast back several yards. "I could handle this with both arms tied behind my back. Go to the fair and have fun!" She jumped into the air and collided headfirst into a pair of tentacles.

"Well, I guess if you're sure," he said mostly to himself. Steven turned to the unshaken Lapis. "She'll be okay, right?"

She watched the fight for a moment before responding. "Come on Steven." She turned around and lead the way towards the fair. Steven looked back one last time, and followed after her.

As the two crossed out of sight, Peridot came running down the beach. The sound from the fight had drawn her attention.

Jasper was swatted down in front of Peridot by the pseudo-jellyfish monster. The geyser of sand combined with the impact almost sent the green gem tumbling.

"Oh my stars! What have you done now," she shrieked.

Jasper pulled herself out of the crater and readied her fists. "Shut up and help me."

* * *

Steven and Lapis never made it back to the fair. Steven was too worried about Jasper to enjoy the festivities and Lapis was too wrapped up in her thoughts to notice much going on around her. Steven tried to speak to her a couple times, but was unable to find the right words. The sun had begun to set by the time they made it back to the temple.

"That was a pretty crazy fair, huh Lapis," Steven said trying to cut through the awkward air between them.

"Uh uh," was her only response.

Steven wanted to say more, but as they walked through the front door, he noticed Jasper and Peridot speaking to each other over the kitchen counter. Peridot's hand quickly flew to her side from Jasper's shoulder.

To Steven's relief Jasper seemed completely unharmed.

"I guess you really didn't need our help," he said to Jasper.

"Didn't I say it would be no problem?" She flexed her arm for emphasis.

"If you could have dealt with that gem by yourself, why did you drag me into the fight," Peridot asked teasingly.

Jasper hit her on the arm lightly, which meant Peridot would be feeling that for the rest of the night. "Shut up Dot."

Lapis headed towards the door to her room, but Jasper stepped in front of her.

"Did you have fun today Lapis? I figured I gave you guys a couple extra hours of fair time since I took care of that gem earlier." Jasper spoke with a smile, but her tone belayed an edge of something.

Lapis refused to acknowledge Jasper again, and tried to walk around her.

Jasper's arm shot out and stopped her cold. She stared at the muscled arm that blocked her path.

"That's it, Lapis." Jasper said, letting her rage emphasize every word.

"I've said I'm sorry over a dozen times. I haven't lost my temper in days, haven't fought with Peridot once, run myself ragged so that you and Steven could have your little day trip together. And what do I get in return?"

"..." Lapis' silence hung in the air like a guillotine.

"Nothing!" Jasper screamed directly into her face. The force from her voice blew Lapis' hair backwards.

Jasper wanted to continue to shout and yell at the top of her lungs. She wanted to grab Lapis and shake her until she forgave her. It drove her up the wall that Lapis refused to accept her apologies. In Jasper's mind, she was doing everything right.

Her fists remained clenched and her teeth gritted against each other so hard that Steven thought sparks would start to fly out.

To Lapis' credit, she stood her ground. The frown she held never moved. Lapis glanced to Jasper's fists, then back into her eyes. She raised an eyebrow as if to ask "Is something about to happen?"

Jasper knew immediately what that implied, and it enraged her even further that she expected her to start a fight.

Jasper slowly cracked her neck from side to side, then stomped her way out of the house. Every footfall shook the house to its core. Bits of dust rained down from the rafters and a several objects fell off the shelves.

Steven turned to Lapis. "I get that you're still mad at Jasper, but you have to give her credit. She's trying to make it up to you."

Just as Steven finished, Jasper let loose with a roar that could probably be heard several states over.

Peridot looked to Lapis. "I should probably go and make sure she doesn't do anything crazy shouldn't I?"

Lapis sighed. "That would be best. Thank you Peridot."

Peridot waved her off and went after Jasper.

Lapis slumped down onto the couch. "To be honest Steven, I don't even think I'm still mad at her," she said with resignation.

"So then you're ready to forgive her," he replied full of hope.

She shook her head. "No. Not yet."

"But you just said-"

"I said I wasn't mad at her, not that I wasn't still incredibly disappointed with her." She patted the cushion next to her for Steven to join her. He put down his poster and sat down.

"You know the story of how your mother and I met right?"

He nodded. "Yeah. You were trapped in a mirror and transported to Earth for trying to escape Homeworld. Eventually my Mom found you and let you go. After that, you joined her and the Crystal Gems."

Lapis smiled at the memory, but just as quickly it disappeared.

She pulled the water from a nearby cup and formed a replica of the mirror that she had been trapped in. It was a perfect replica and even had a version of her gem set in the back.

The mirror rotated slowly in the air.

"I never liked Homeworld. I can't explain where those feelings came from. Even now it's still a mystery, but everyday I spent there felt like a vice was slowly crushing me. No matter what I did I never felt right working for the Diamond Authority."

The mirror changed shape. It was now a small dancer, moving gracefully through the air to music only Lapis knew.

"My life was meant to be a performer's life," she said matter-of-factly. "I was never required to do any kind of manual work. I was given a massive stage with plenty of water and assistant's to help. The hardest part of my life was I was expected to put on a grand show at a moment's notice."

"This went on for centuries, until, on a whim, I didn't hold a performance." The water shifted into a bird.

"I spent the whole day I should have been performing, just flying around. I had barely explored Homeworld before that day, so I made up for it. I flew for hours Steven, just taking in the scenery. It was so beautiful back then."

Steven was enraptured by the water and it's imagery. As Lapis thought of everything she saw that day, the water shifted to match. There were cities with architecture that could never exist on Earth. He saw mountains that sloped and looped around each other like they were made of taffy. The scenery shifted faster and faster, until all of a sudden, it stopped.

He looked over at Lapis and saw the look of resignation she had. "When I returned, a pair of quartz soldiers were waiting for me. They informed me that, for embarrassing the diamonds like I did, that I was to be shattered."

"They were going to shatter you just for skipping one show," Steven asked with shock.

"The diamonds are not to be disobeyed Steven. That is one of the most ancient rules in our culture."

"Ugh," he groaned in frustration. "Those rules suck! I mean, how are you supposed to be….you. If you're only allowed to act how the diamonds say?"

Lapis giggled softly as Steven insulted the most absolute law in gem society. "I agree Steven. It does suck."

"So how did you escape the soldiers," he said focusing her back to the story.

"Lets just say it's not smart to mess with a Lapis Lazuli when her stage is nearby. After those two were taken care of, I ran for the nearest space port. My plan was to stowaway on the first ship out." The water shifted to a person in handcuffs. "That clearly didn't work out."

"They captured me before I got halfway there. When they brought me before Blue Diamond, she said that, if I was so desperate to remain whole, that she would make a special exception for me."

The water reformed into the mirror. "It was quite ironic of her honestly. Trapping me so that my gem was virtually untouchable. Where I could exist, trapped in a mirror, for eternity." Lapis floated the water back down into the cup and looked at Steven.

"Do you understand why I haven't forgiven Jasper yet?"

"You...haven't forgiven Jasper yet...because..." as he spoke Steven thought about everything Lapis had told him. Lapis silently waited for him to find the conclusion on his own.

All of a sudden, the pieces fell together in his head. He looked up to Lapis with understanding. "It's because you know what it's like to be trapped against your will. How it feels to do things you don't want to do."

Lapis had always taught Steven to express his emotions, whether they were good or bad. In this instance, she held herself to that rule, and let all the pain and hurt inside flow through her words."Well done Steven."


	5. Chapter 5

"Steven, you've already told me your plan. I really don't need a..."

"If we're going to get Lapis and Jasper talking again," Steven continued uniterrupted. "We'll have to force them to do something _together._ " Peridot tileted her head back and sighed in exasperation as Steven prepared to reiterate his plan.

"Once they're back to working as a team, it'll prove that all their fighting over the last few weeks hasn't changed that they're still friends." Steven moved around several objects on the ground as he laid out how everything was supposed to play out.

He held a particularly buff action figure with no shirt on and a large gun. "Senor Action Man will be me, the orange will represent Jasper, Lapis is the glass of water, and you can be the Gameboy."

Peridot eyed the gaming device with suspicion. "Why do I have to be the game child-

"Gameboy," Steven corrected.

"Whatever," she said with a wave of annoyance.

"Well, you're pretty techy with all your robots and gadgets, and my Gameboy is a gadget. So it just makes sense."

"Then why is Jasper an orange?"

"They're the same color."

"Her skin is tangerine, not orange."

Steven shook his head to help him focus. "Don't worry about who is what, these are just models." He grabbed the 'Gems' and moved them around the floor.

"First, we'll tell the other two that we found an artifact or something that we need to go and retrieve. Once we get there, we'll split up into groups and go looking around." Steven separated the orange and water from the Gameboy and action figure.

"You and I will go off on our own, then pretend that I'm getting kidnapped or something." He pushed the Senor Muscle Man figure forward and surrounded it with several multi-colored marbles.

"I'll call for help and the other two will come running to save me, but they won't be able to find me because I'll be in hiding." Now the action figure was hid behind a stack of books while the orange and water "searched" for it.

"How do you know you'll be able to hide from them?" Peridot asked, trying her best not to sound condescending toward Steven's childish plan.

Steven thought for a moment. "We'll have to go somewhere that will be easy to hide in. Are there any warp pads that lead to a forest or desert?"

Peridot pulled up the computer she carried on her wrist and scrolled through a list of warp pad locations. After a few seconds she placed her finger on one. "Here's one that will take us to a forest in the north. There should be hundreds of trees and shrubbery you could use to hide with."

"Great," Steven said as he snapped his fingers together. "Then that's where we'll go."

Peridot's virtual screen collapsed back into her wrist. "This is all well and good Steven, but I doubt your disappearing act will be enough to get those two back on good terms. I've known them much longer than you have." She shrugged. "Sometimes these things just take time."

He shook his head in denial. "It's been long enough. They're only mad at each other because they're both so stubborn. As soon as they realize that they want the same things, everything will be fine." Steven spoke with conviction, but in the back of his head, a little voice agreed with Peridot. He was desperate though, and wanted nothing more to return to when they were all laughing and having fun together.

Steven and Peridot heard the signature thuds as Jasper made her way up the stairs towards their shared home. Jasper shoved the screen door inwards, her arms held forward and laden with bags of groceries like a shopaholic zombie.

"Are you two going to help me or what," Jasper yelled towards Steven's bed where she saw their heads poking out. Steven leapt up at her entrance and quickly enacted his plan.

"Jasper, we don't have time for groceries!"

"Are you sure?" She hefted up one arm full of sagging bags. "I'm pretty sure one of these bags has a carton of double chocolate fudge cherry ice cream."

Steven stopped mid stride and considered the delicious icy confection hidden among the groceries. "Well, I guess we have a little time to-"

"Steven," Peridot interrupted loudly. "Don't you think this mission is more _important_ than some _treat?"_

He fought the urge to tear into the bags apart and focused on his master plan. "She's right! Peridot's wrist-puter said there's a….ummmm." Steven's mind ran double time as he tried to think of something that would convince Jasper that they needed to go. She stared at him expectantly.

Peridot came down from Steven's bunk and tried to save the situation. "We found a crashed space-"

"Goat," Steven shouted out loud.

"A...space goat," Jasper asked a little confused. Peridot put her hands to her face and dragged her prosthetic fingers downwards.

"Y-yeah! A space goat! Oh man, they're crazy powerful. If we don't stop it right now, he could destroy half the country."

Jasper looked between Steven's determined face and Peridot's oddly smiling one. It was obvious to Jasper what had to be done.

"I get it you guys," she said. Peridot was sure that Jasper had caught them in their lie, and prepared to come clean. "You spotted this big bad monster and are afraid to take care of him yourself. Well don't worry, I've got your backs." Jasper threw the groceries into the refrigerator hard enough for glass to break and some of the softer food to splat loudly. She paid it no mind and slammed the door shut.

"I'm surrounded by clods," Peridot said to herself as Steven rushed over to the warp pad with Jasper.

Peridot stepped onto the pad and punched in the coordinates.

* * *

The trio materialized within a densely packed forest. Hundreds of thick trees surrounded them. Their crowns, full of leaves, blocked out much of the sun. Only a few wisps of light were able to sneak through here and there, giving the forest a feeling of impending malice.

"Okay, where's this space goat you were talking about?" Jasper cracked her neck and rolled her shoulders in preparation for the fight.

"Oh," Steven exclaimed. "I left the space goat, uhhhh…."

"Tracker," Peridot said without hesitation.

"Yeah, tracker! I left it back in my bunk. I'll go get it." With that he hopped back on the pad and teleported home.

The two Crystal Gems stood in the forest together. Peridot kicked a stick deeper into the woods while Jasper continued to stretch. She looked over to her friend.

"You know, you really should start training more."

"What was that," Peridot asked only half paying attention.

"You should train more," she said again. "If you can't even take down one space goat by yourself, I'm afraid to leave Steven alone with you. I mean, you've got all those limb enhancers. They should be good for something more than adding a few feet, don't you think?"

Jasper continued her routine while Peridot stood there dumbfounded. She felt like she should say something, but it seemed as useful as trying to explain thermodynamics to a rock.

The warp pad activated once more, and Peridot was saved from anymore alone time with Jasper when Steven reappeared with Lapis in tow.

Steven tapped his head with his palm. "I'm such a dork. I forgot that the scanner is on Peridot's wrist-puter."

"Stop calling it that," Peridot said.

"So instead, I brought Lapis, just in case the space goat was too much for us." Steven winked at Peridot. She did not return the gesture.

"Of course I'm happy to help Steven," Lapis said. "But I've never heard of a space goat. Are they really that much of a threat?" Jasper stood up rigidly as Lapis spoke, clearly still not comfortable around her.

"Oh yeah, they're super bad. Just ask Peridot."

"They're terrible," she responded without a shred of emotion.

Lapis shrugged. "If you say so. Peridot, where does your scanner say it is?"

Steven moved to stand between them. "We don't need the scanner!"

"We don't?" This time Jasper spoke. Lapis looked at her out of the corner of her eye, but did little else to acknowledge her.

"Don't you know? Space goats can be heard from miles around. In fact, we should split up! That way we'll be able to find him faster." He rushed over to Peridot and grabbed her arm, quickly dragging her away into the forest. "Peridot and I will look over here, you two go that way. Okay, be safe," he yelled as he ran. His voice slowly enveloped by the trees.

"Be careful," Jasper yelled back. "Something's off about this place!"

Lapis and Jasper could faintly hear Steven's voice respond. "We will."

The two looked at each other and began moving the opposite way Steven went. Jasper let Lapis lead while she took up the rear. They walked in silence for almost fifteen minutes until it became too much for Jasper.

"I haven't heard anything yet. Have you," she asked aloud, hoping Lapis would take the bait. Silence was her only response. "Thought so."

As they moved deeper into the forest, signs of battle could be spotted. Some trees had grown around heavy scars or were clearly younger than the ones around them, while craters and fissures were spread randomly around the ground. Jasper knelt down by a particularly large depression in the earth and examined it. Lapis took her time investigating a dead tree that seemed to have been blown out of the ground.

"Look at this Lapis." She remained silent, but moved to stand by Jasper. "This hole was made from an explosion _underneath_ the ground. You can see how it lips up around the top." She pointed to where the hole leveled out with the ground, and Lapis realized she was right.

Jasper eyed a tree that had a fist sized chunk missing from its side. She moved cautiously to the tree and tapped it with her knuckles. A series of clicks and whirs sounded from within.

She dove out of the way while Lapis wrapped the tree in a wall of water. A moment later the tree exploded out in fiery blaze of fake wood and metal.

Lapis' water muted the explosion and slowed down the shrapnel to a harmless speed.

Jasper stared at the tree while a face of grim realization took over. Lapis saw this and broke her month long silence.

"What is going on," she demanded in a dark tone.

"I know where we're at," Jasper responded distractedly. "This is the Black Forest."

"The what?"

"It was before your time. We battled Homeworld here, routed them back into a retreat. They got the last laugh though when they booby trapped the forest. Mines, laser trip wires, pitfalls into mechanical crushers; wherever they could hide a weapon, they did. We lost dozens of gems chasing them though here."

"And you never came back to clear out the traps," Lapis yelled angrily.

"That's how war works," Jasper said bitterly. "Both sides just moved on to the next battlefield. There wasn't time."

"'There wasn't time," Lapis derided. "More like you didn't care. All you worried about was the fighting. You couldn't be bothered to think of what your actions would mean to anyone else."

"You think I wanted this?" Jasper shouted into Lapis' face.

Lapis stared back at her, arms crossed, with an unwavering glare.

"Rose and me? We didn't fight for _this,"_ Jasper's arms opened wide to the deadly forest. "We fought so that this planet would be safe! And you're right, I was just thinking of the next battle, because it could have been our _last_!"

"I know you weren't out there fighting every day," Lapis responded with an icy chill. "You could have come back and done something. Instead, you choose to leave everything here. That's on you."

Jasper threw her arms up in frustration. "Yes, it is, but so was getting our gems _through_ those fights! You think we spent the days we weren't fighting lounging in the sun? We could have gone back and cleared this place, sure, but that would have put our gems at risk and weakened us. We all had to make hard choices, but wasting time cleaning up an old battlefield, wasn't one of them."

"Is that why you're always pushing Steven? Because you think the war is getting ready to pull you back in? News flash Jasper. It's over."

"You don't know that," Jasper said with deadly seriousness. "Homeworld could come down any day and attack. You think Steven's strong enough to fend them off? Because let me tell you Lapis, _I'm_ not strong enough for that. So yes, I push Steven, and you, and Peridot."

"Even if all you're actually doing is pushing us away?"

Before Jasper could respond, the pair heard an explosion in the distance. It came from the direction Steven and Peridot had gone.

"Steven," shouted Lapis, her mind jumping to the worst scenario.

Jasper didn't waste time with words. She pointed herself in the direction of the explosion and ran.

Her crash helmet materialized on her head as she bulled through every obstacle in her path. Trees cracked and fell, rocks split open and the ground shuddered with every step. Lapis followed behind her as she cleared a path forward.

The two made quick progress, before the inevitable happened in a forest full of traps. Jasper focused on a tree in front of her, but before their impact, a slit opened up. From the opening, dozens of buzz blades launched at her. She batted several away with her helmet, but one cut a valley from her shoulder to the middle of her back.

She winced in pain, but didn't stop moving forward. Lapis filled the trap with water, shorting out it's ancient mechanisms.

They continued on their path, falling into practiced teamwork to avoid the traps that activated.

A small clearing opened up before them and Jasper slowed down. She leaned forward with her hands on her knees and caught her breath. Jasper took the brunt of many of the traps, while Lapis had gotten out mostly unscathed. She flew up from the clearing to get above the trees.

"Do you...see anything," Jasper shouted between gulps of air.

Lapis scanned the horizon for some sign of Peridot or Steven, but they were lost somewhere in the large sea of green. She landed lightly near Jasper. "Not yet."

"We keep moving then." Jasper took a shaky step forward before Lapis caught her shoulder and steadied her.

Jasper tried to shake Lapis off, but she held tight. "I want to get to Steven as much as you do, but you need to stop for a moment. You won't do him any good if you get shattered, so just wait a moment."

"No, there isn't time," Jasper insisted. "This place gets to everyone eventually. Every space holds a new form of death. The anticipation and fear slowly grow into dread, which turns into panic. From there you're so paranoid that you see danger in every tree stump and blade of grass around you, until you don't see the one that matters. I've seen it happen before, and I won't let it happen again."

Jasper tried to march forward into the forest, but Lapis cut her off. Her wings extended out over a dozen feet in each direction.

"This. Right here. Is your problem," Lapis said slowly. "You think you have the answer to everyone's problems. You don't bother reaching out to the rest of us, or seeing what we think. You just act."

"Do you even stop to think what consequences your actions have," she asked with a glimmer of hope.

Jasper looked down at her, but couldn't find any words to ease the hurt in her voice.

After another moment, Lapis' wings dropped and soaked the ground around them. Once more Jasper took the lead, but this time she acted more carefully. Lapis took the small victory, but it did little to ease the sense of fear she felt about the forest they were trapped within.


End file.
